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CBD Takeaways from Expo West 2019

Last updated: June-24,2019

Key CBD Takeaways from Expo West 2019

Expo West 2019 is officially in the books and what an exciting event it was!

To the surprise of no one that exhibited or attended one of the nutraceutical industry's largest and most popular trade shows of the year, the current state of the CBD market and what brand owners and consumers can expect in the future were hot topics of conversation and interest throughout the week.

Here are just some of the key CBD takeaways and information that came out of Anaheim:

Full-Spectrum CBD is the "way to go"

At the Natural Products Hemp and CBD Summit, speaker Sean Murphy of Hemp Business Journal shared his belief that full spectrum CBD is the "way to go" and that the concept of isolate spiking is a "short-sighted, bad idea" that pharma is going to eventually lock down.

Brand owners looking to enter the CBD market for the first time or are exploring the idea of expanding their product line to include a CBD dietary supplement are encouraged to formulate their products using high-quality, full spectrum CBD.

full-spectrum-cbd

Echoing Mr. Murphy's sentiments was Professor Gene Bruno, Senior Director of Product Innovation at Twinlab.

In an article published on our blog earlier this year entitled, "3 Phytocannabinoid Benefits You Should Know About", Professor Bruno shared that full-spectrum hemp extract contains a full array of naturally-occurring phytocannabinoids, including a defined amount of CBD. Although CBD isolate is less expensive than full-spectrum phytocannabinoids, they're shown to be less effective.

Because of its lack of potency, Bruno cautioned current and aspiring brand owners not to be short sighted and that formulating with CBD isolate could have detrimental impacts on product sales and brand loyalty.

Legality of CBD: Federal vs. State Regulations

Another hot topic of conversation at Expo West 2019 was the continued uncertainty around the legality of CBD at both the federal and state levels.

Rend Al-Mondhiry of Amin Talati Upadhye helped clarify where things currently stand:

  • The 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp at the federal level, but states have more stringent regulations.
  • Even trace amounts of THC could cause a product to be deemed as a controlled substance.

Related Reading: CBD vs. THC: Learn the Difference in 2 Minutes

Other key insights shared by as Al-Mondhiry included:
  • New York requires hemp-based CBD to be labeled and manufactured as a dietary supplement.
  • Idaho, South Dakota and Nebraska consider CBD, including hemp-based CBD, to be illegal under state law.
  • Oklahoma, Tennessee and other states allow CBD use only for certain medical conditions.

To help clarify things for you, we  created an easy-to-understand infographic that indicates where THC (as marijuana) is presently legal and illegal:

states where thc is legal & illegalAdditionally, Professor Bruno published a quick, 5-minute read on our blog shortly after the 2018 Farm Bill was signed by President Trump that provides all of the information you need in order to understand the current legal status of CBD and THC by U.S. state.

Looking for more information & news about CBD?

For a full report on the CBD takeaways from Expo West, check out the article published by the staff at WholeFoods Magazine.

March 21st, 2019

About the Author:

 
Andrew Goldman

Andrew Goldman is the Vice President of Marketing for NutraScience Labs. In this role, he leverages his 15+ years of B2B inbound marketing experience to develop cutting edge strategies for our firm. A health and fitness enthusiast, Andrew and his team won the 2012 Stevie Award for Marketing Team of the Year. He is also a two-time Best In Biz Silver Award winner for Marketing Executive of the Year and has received other honors and accolades for his website design work.